Need a name for a tavern keeper, a villain, a ship captain, or a town your players just wandered into? This free fantasy name generator makes first names, surnames, bynames, town names, castle names, and other place names for D&D, Daring & Dread, and any other tabletop RPG, plus fantasy novels and video games. Pick a culture and a gender, then click a name to copy it.
- Freydolf Hrafnvik
- Harthor Arnes
- Aren ferch Brenoc
- Idrarella Penant
- Hierotimos son of Hippomenes
- Shat-Marduk of Umuk
- Ethelith Mercer
- Godith Archer
- Odric von Weissenfels
- Eliana di Serralena
A name generator built on real naming traditions
Most random name generators glue syllables together and hope for the best. This one builds names the way real cultures did. Germanic and Greek names are two-part compounds, Norse surnames come from a parent’s name, Gaelic surnames use Mac and Nic, and Mesopotamian names are short sentences built around a god. Every result is then checked for clumsy letter clusters and stuttering syllables, so the names sound right when you say them out loud at the table.
It’s the same generator built into the Daring & Dread Builder Suite and the Daring & Dread: Endless Adventures computer RPG.
Eight cultures of fantasy names
Germanic name generator
Old High German style names like Siegward and Hildilda, with family names, trade names such as Schmidt and Weber, and noble names like von Hohenstein. Examples: Burkher Kuhn, Hugvald Vogt, Dietrude von Adlerhof, Hildevarun von Birkental. Places: Hohenstein, Kaltenwalde, Lindenweiler.
Celtic and Gaelic name generator
Irish, Scottish, and Welsh flavored names with Mac, Nic, O’, ap, and ferch surnames, plus Gaelic bynames like Mor and Og. Examples: Fergal ap Serenoc, Moriaran Cairnan, Aren ferch Brenoc, Idrarella Penant. Places: Abernant, Ballybran, Glenmore.
Norse and Viking name generator
Old Norse names with true patronymic surnames (-son and -dottir, sometimes from the mother), farm names, and Viking bynames like Fairhair and Skull-Splitter. Examples: Freydolf Hrafnvik, Harthor Arnes, Arnborg Hrafnbjornsdottir, Bjornunna Asteinsdottir. Places: Birksund, Solfjord, Stavberg.
Roman, Latin, and Romance name generator
Latin, Italian, French, and Spanish styled names, plus full Roman tria nomina like Gaius Valerius Corvus. Examples: Corellval Rafaelondez, Leonarius Rosotti, Cassise Mercier, Eliana di Serralena. Places: Montefiore, Pontelago, Castelverde.
Medieval English name generator
Anglo-Saxon names like Eadward and Ethelflaed, Middle English names like Watkin and Alys, and surnames from places, trades, and fathers. Examples: Aelbert Bradcombe, Berot Blackley, Ethelith Mercer, Godith Archer. Places: Bradcombe, Foxford, Stonecombe.
Ancient Greek name generator
Classical two-part Greek names with patronymics (son of, daughter of), -ides family names, and home cities. Choose Hellenic spelling (Nikandros) or the familiar Latinized spelling (Nicander). Examples: Damodoros Phanophonides, Damokritos Melanphonides, Androthea of Megos, Arkito of Halinthos. Places: Eryia, Kythos, Tegene.
Mesopotamian, Sumerian, and Babylonian name generator
Akkadian names built around gods such as Nabu, Ishtar, and Marduk, Sumerian royal-style names, and cities like Dur-Nabu and Kar-Ishtar. Perfect for sword-and-sorcery and Bronze Age settings. Examples: Anu-muballit son of Lugalushumgal, Enmah son of Kubiya, Abtani of Kalru, Amanepada daughter of Nanshe-kudurri-usur. Places: Bit-Bel, Bit-Nanna, Dur-Bel.
Town and castle name generator
Need a village for the party to rest in or a fortress for the villain? Choose Town names or Castle names to get settlements and strongholds named the way each culture really named them: German spa towns and river towns like Falkenwiesen am Elde, English market towns like Little Stanstoke and Brookford-on-Avon, Italian hill towns like Bellaverde sul Mincio, Gaelic ring forts like Dun Brandric, Norse halls like Hrafnborg, and Assyrian fortress cities like Dur-Nabu, the fortress of Nabu.
Castle examples: Burg Rabenfels, Schloss Falkenheim, The Broken Citadel, Bonespire Keep, Rocca Vallerosa, Caer Merral, Akropolis of Tirinthos, and The Ziggurat of Ishtar.
Tips for naming NPCs
- Pick one or two cultures per region of your world so names from the same place feel related.
- Turn bynames to Often for rough, colorful NPCs, and to None for formal nobility.
- Use Town names and Castle names for settlements and strongholds in the same style as the people who live there.
- Click Copy all to paste a whole list into your campaign notes for names on the fly.
Put this tool on your own site
Run a blog, a campaign wiki, or a club website? You’re welcome to add the Fantasy Name Generator to it for free. Copy the code below and paste it into an HTML or custom code block. It works with WordPress, Blogger, Squarespace, Wix, and most other site builders.
Frequently asked questions
Is the fantasy name generator free?
Yes. It’s free to use with no sign-up, and it runs entirely in your browser.
Can I use these names in my D&D campaign or published adventure?
Yes. Use any name you generate in your games, novels, adventures, and other projects, commercial or not. No credit is required, though a link back is always appreciated.
What cultures does the name generator cover?
Eight: Germanic, Celtic and Gaelic, Norse, Romance and Latin, English, Ancient Greek in Hellenic spelling, Ancient Greek in Latinized spelling, and Mesopotamian (Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, and Assyrian).
Does it make female, male, and gender-neutral names?
Yes. Pick male, female, neutral, or any. Surnames follow suit where the culture did, so a Norse daughter gets -dottir and a Gaelic daughter gets Nic.
Can it generate town names and castle names?
Yes. Choose Town names or Castle names for settlements and strongholds in the style of each culture, from Little Stanstoke and Bellaverde sul Mincio to Burg Rabenfels and Dur-Nabu.
How are the names built?
Each culture uses the same building blocks real names used, such as two-part Germanic and Greek compounds or Akkadian names built around a god. Every name is then checked for awkward letter clusters and repeated syllables so it reads and sounds right.
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About the creator
The Fantasy Name Generator is made by Darrin Drader, designer of Daring & Dread: The Roleplaying Game, Apocalyp5e, and Last Fleet to Vega. For more free and low-cost GM resources, see Adventures, Maps & Tools.